Paris mourns opera chorusmaster, 99

The death is reported of the venerable Jean Laforge, chorusmaster of the Opéra de Paris for three decades and of other major companies for the next 15 years.

Laforge entered the Palais Garnier as deputy head of chorus in 1958, rising to chorusmaster six years later and retiring at the mandatory age of 62 in 1987. He went on to be head of chorus at the Grand Théâtre de Genève (1987-1995), Nice Opera (1996-1997) and back to Paris at the Opéra-comique (1998-2000).

A former student of Ravel’s friend Magda Tagliaferro, Laforge maintained a parallel career as a concert pianist, playing concertos with various orchestras and chamber music with his own Groupe Instrumental de Paris.

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